Train-signaling system



Jul 7, 1925. 1,545,280

H. ROWNTREE I'RAIH SIGNALU JG SYSIEM Original Filed Aug, 5, 1917 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill" Current J WW @Sb MMJGCWM H, ROWNTREE TRAIN SIGNALING SYSTEM July 7, 1925.

51 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Au Patented July 7, 1925.

' UNITED STATES BATENT 1 OFFICE;

HAROLD ROWNTREE, OF KENILWORTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL PNEU- MATIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y.', A. COBPORATION OF IWES'J. VIRGINIA.

TRAIN-SIGNALING. mm.

Original application filed August 3, 1917, Serial 110. 184,211 Patent N0.'1,347,523, dated July 27, 1920.

\ Divided and this application filed latch 25, 1918. Serial 'No. 224,417.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD Rown'rnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenilworth, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Train-Signaling Systems, of which the following-is a specification.

This invention relates to train signaling systems and is directed to subject matter divided from my co-pending application Serial No. 184,211, filed August 3,1917, and l patented July 27, 1920, as No. 1,347 ,523.

The object of the invention is to provide a train signaling system which will insure I speed and. efliciency' of the conductorsfor guards controlling the doors for the exit and entrance of passengers.

A further object of the invention. is to. provide a signaling system which I will term a hurry-up signal to guards or conductors who are dilatory inv closing their "doors to allow the forward travel of" the car or train. A

Further objects of the invention pear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be will apmore fully hereinafter set ftirth as shown by the accompanying drawing and finally pointed out'in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic wiring diagram showing one portion of a train control and signaling mechanism'employed in accordance with my invention. I

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the con- ;trol and signaling mechanism .located on the car structure.

Fig. 3 1s a viewshowing my inventlon applied to cars in a traimj The same part is designated'by reference numeral wherever throughout the several views. 1

It is among the purposes of my present invention to provide means in a. car or a' train of cars for giving a hurry-up signal to the guards who are slow in closing their doors after the entrance or exit of passengers. It is well known in the present art, for example, a train of cars, to provide means in the motormans station in the form of a signal to; indicate to him when allof the doors of the train have been closed so the same it occurs defined bythe claims-is equally applicable to single cars or car units where a plurality of doors are to. be operated. When all of the cars except a few have their doors closed,

in accordance with my invention a hurry-,up

signal is given on those cars with a door still open in order to hasten the action of the guard, and I provide means for auto- Y matically stopping the hurry-up signalthe moment the doors on-that car are closed. I also provide means in the event that the hurry-up signal continues to operate after the doors are apparently closed, thereby showing that some part of the door signaling system has failed to function, whereby the guard can operatea special switch on the car which will instantly place the safety signaling system ofthe train in the condi-, tion it would occupy if the door switch systom on that car had not failed, and thereby causin the hurry-up signal to cease its operation the moment such reserve switch is operated.

I will now described the mechanism on each car, and in doing this it is not necessary to show or describe the standard mechanism disclosed in my Patents Nos. 1,347,523v

and 1,292,077, which mechanism is now .in

useon cars of individual trains and wherein ally at the head of the train. The cars will whereby when a circuit is completed electric control mechanism is put into operation to cause the motor to start and to steadily in.- crease the speed of the motor until the'dee ofcourse be equipped with the usual motor sired maximum'speed is attained, and when the electrical connection is broken the electric controlling mechanism is operated to shut off the current from the motor and so bring the motor to rest. The car-may be of course equipped ,with the usual air brakes including compressor, tank, automatic regulator andthe suitable electrically controlled valves for controlling the air brake so that 90 all cars are controlled from one place, usuwhenan electrical connection is made the brakes will be liberated and when the electrical connection. is broken the brakes will be applied with the maximum pressure consistent with the safety of the equipment and the comfort of the passengers. The mechanism by which this is accomplished is so well known in the art that it is unnecessary to describe it here, and my invention is not to be limited to any details thereof. 'It is only necessary for me to describe means whereby, at the proper time, the electrical connection is made and broken sothat making the electrical connection from the power line liberates the brakes and starts the motor, and breaking the electrical connection will apply the brakes and shut ofi power from the motor.

. In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown a solenoid 7 which when energized completes the above mentioned electrical circuit, and

when de-energized breaks the said electrical circuit. This solenoid 7 is in constant connection with the contr l circuit and the other terminal of'the solenoid 7 is grounded so that current in the control circuit is at all times transmitted to the winding of solenoid 7. a 1

Each door of the car is equipped with a suitable switch as shown diagrammatically at 8, 9 and 10 so connected to the door that the circuit is completed when the door is fully closed and broken when the door is not fully closed. These'switches 8, 9 and 10 are in series with each other, one side being connected to the power rail through the power car shoe and the other to one terminal of the winding of solenoid 11, which is grounded as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This is a simple arrangement employed where the well known third rail system'is employed, and is selected as illustrative of the invention involved. It is obvious, however, that the invention is applicable to any electrically controlled car or train whether .it is of the third rail system or not. From the foregoing itwill be seen that if all the doors on the car are properly and entirely closed solenoid 1-1-will be .energized, but if any of the doors on that car are open solenoid l1 will'not be energized. When solenoid 11 is not energize it makes contact between contacts 12 and 13 'but when it is energized this contact is broken. Contact 12 is connected to the con Before describing how the above mechanism operates, I will describe the controlling mechanism of the train which is diagram matically shown in Figil. In accordance with the disclosure in my parent application,

now Patent No. 1,347 523, this controlling mechanism of the train may be any standard controller, and therefore while I incorporate novel features it is to be understood that my broad invention as defined in the claims is not to be limited to the specific construction diagrammatically shown "in Fig. 1 and v which I- will now describe. The controllingmech'anism includes a control handle 46 operating about a pivot 47. This handle carries a contact piece 48 which makes contact with the contact strip 4, and also makes contact with the three button contacts 1,2 and 3, being so arranged that it will make contact with contact 3 before it leaves contact 2, or with contact 2 before it leaves contact 3, as indicated on dotted lines. Contact 1 is dead and corresponds to the ofi position of the motor controller. Contacts 2 and 3 are connected together through resistance 5.- Contact 3 is connected to the control circuit of the car or train, and segment 4 is connected to a source of current supply.

JAIL electrical indicator 6 may be inserted in the circuit at any suitable point 'as between contact 3 and the usual ground connection to indicate difference of potentialin the system. The motor M is further controlled by controller 0 on the car. The operation of my novel device may be conveniently describedas follows: I

Let us suppose that handle 46 is on con tact l. There will then be no current supplied to contact 3, and consequently. there will be no current in the controlcircuit. There being no current in the control circuit solenoid 7 on each car will not be ener-.

gized and the switch which it controls will be open, the brakes operated by the brake valves controlled by solenoids 20 will be applied and the motor. will be shut ofi on each car, in the manner well understood in the art, and therefore nodetailed mechanism to accomplish these results is herein-illustrated. Ifnow, the control handle is moved to C011".

(1 tact 2, current will through segment 4,

contact piece 4$, 'eontaht 2, through resistance 5 to contac circuit iand also'tlirough the indicator 6. There. will now becjurrent entering the control circuit through resistance 5 and leaving the control circuit through each of the solenoids 7, and the resistance 5 will be so graduated that the amount of current enterlng the control v circuit will be somewhat below that sufiicieht to energize the solenoids 7, that is, when all" the solenoids 7 are in parallel with each other and-connecting the control circuit to ground; This insuificlency ofgthe current to energize any of the'sole-i and then to the c'mtrol noids 7, as stated above, must exist even if all the doors on the train or car are closed, or when solenoids 11 are energized r passing through resistance 5, in addition to being dissipated in the control circuit through all the solenoids 7, will also be dissipated through resistances 16 and sounders 15 on the cars of which any door is open.

These resistances will have a sufiicient carrying capacity in proportion to the resistance 5 so that there will be practically no voltage drop in the control system so long as any material number of car doors are open, and 20 if any considerable number of doors be open indicator 6 at the motormans station or at any control station will indicate practically a zero reading.

As. soon, however, as alarge majority of the car doors are closed, and therefore the corresponding solenoid energized and the connection from the control circuit to the resistance 16 and the sounder 15 is cut out on such cars, the current entering the control. circuit through resistance 5 will begin to build up a pressure inthe control circuit. By the time there remain open only a few doors, this pressure will be suflicient to cause the sounder 15 to sound on such cars where the doors are open, thereby notifying'the he will know that his car is no 1onger=delaying the train. Should, however, it occur that something has gone .wrong with oneof the door switches, or' with the electrical connections, or with solenoid 11, or even with one of the door operating engines, or itscontrol (it being naturally assumed'that each door will boa power-operated door controlled by the guard), and the guard finds that he-is'unable by manipulating the door control to cause the sounderto cease sounding, then by opening the manual switch- 14 he will disconnect the control circuit from the resistance 16 and the sounder 15,

prevent the train or car from being unduly delayed, either by the guard being dilatory or by the mechanism on the car becoming temporarily out of order. .The trainjw-ill thus never be long and will proceed" on times indicates her of cars on which any door is openvis being reduced; or, where a single car is employed, as the number of open doors on the.

car is reduced. In the first instance, as the last car has its doors closedjor its switch 14 open, which produces the same effect, and the control circuit is freed from any connection to the ground other than through solenoids 7, the indicator 6 will constantly communicate this fact to the motorzuan and he will instantly move the control handle 46 to contact 3,. thereby turn on full current so as to energize all of the solenoids 7, and thus complete the circuit on each car to thereby liberate the brake and start the motor mechanism into action. 7

When the motorman desires to stop he will move the handle to the dead contact 1, or

the off position. Thereupon solenoids 7 will be deenergized, the motor control will be train will stop. As soon as the train has stopped the motorman will move his control handle 46 to contact 2 so as to obtain through the indicator 6 an accurate indication of when the doors are closed, and his trainis permitted to proceed. v

It will be seen, therefore, that I havedevised an exceedingly simple and efiicient arrangement whereby a car, or train of cars, may be controlled so'that the car or ,train can be operated rapidly. By this arrangement the motorman knows when all the doors of the train are closed. and'when the hurryup signal is given on the cars that are last to have their doors closed. Moreover, means are provided whereby the guard of any car is enabled to place the system in condition so that the train can be operated even though any part of the safety arrangement on 1118 car has become damaged.

It is obvious that very many different arrangements of car signaling systems may be adopted without departingv from the sp1r1t orscope of my invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, what I claim as new and useful, of my own invention,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a train of cars and in combination with the doors thereof, of signal'devices on each car, and means controlled by the closing of a predetermined number of doors for operating the signal devlces on the cars, the doors of which remain open.

2. In a train of cars and in combination with the doors thereof, of signal devices on each car, and means including switches con-' trolled by the opening and closing of the doors for operating the signal devices on the cars the doors of which remain open when a predetermined number of doors have been closed. r I

'3. In a train of cars, the combination with doors for the cars and a signal device in each car, of means controlledby the closing of themajority of the doors 'of the train for operating the signal devices on the cars,

the doors of which remain unclosed, and I manually operated means located on each car for rendering the signal device thereof inoperative independent of the door controlled means. v 4;. In a train of cars and in combination withthe doorson said cars, of a signal device for eachcar, and means influenced by the closing of the majority of the doors of the train for rendering operative said signal device on the cars the doors of which re- 20 main unclosed.

" 5. In a train, the combination with doors of hurry-up signals for said doors, means open, and means for rendering the signals inoperative independent of' the door controlled means. 7

6. In a train, the combination with doorswitches for doors on said train, signals for said doors, and means including said switches =-influenced by the closing of the majority of the doors of the train for operating the signals of the doors remaining open.'

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this21st day of MarchA. D. 1918. I t

HAROLD ROWNTREE. 

